It would be difficult to find a Minnesota Vikings fan who isn't pleased with what head coach Kevin O'Connell has done with the team since he was hired in 2022. The way he can rally the team and get the most out of his players says a lot about who he is and what he brings to the franchise.
The 39-year-old head coach was recognized for his work in 2024 when he won 2024 Head Coach of the Year from the Pro Football Writers Association and NFL Coach of the Year from the Associated Press.
Still, there are those out there who aren't as high on O'Connell and his work with the Vikings. And it's okay to have a different opinion, but it's another thing when your opinion is so wildly different from the majority.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell was Coach of the Year in 2024
Mike Fanelli of Rotoballer put together a power ranking of NFL head coaches heading into the 2025 season. Minnesota Vikings fans likely expected that Kevin O'Connell would be in the top quarter of the league's coaches, but he fell short of that mark, landing at No. 11 in the piece.
"There might not be a more underrated coach in the NFL than O’Connell. The Vikings have a 34-17 record during his three years as the head coach, winning 13 or more games twice, including last season with Sam Darnold under center."Mike Fanelli via Rotoballer
It might be hard to be underrated when you win NFL Coach of the Year and you win 34 of your first 51 games as a head coach. Plus, getting great play out of quarterbacks most teams wouldn't want on the field has become standard for Minnesota's guy.
Interestingly, the ranking puts O'Connell behind some other great coaches like Detroit's Dan Campbell and Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni but also seems to give a lot of credit for efforts in the past by putting Las Vegas' Pete Carroll at No. 8 and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin at No. 4.
Power rankings are always a lot of fun to talk about, but usually shouldn't be taken too seriously. After all, they are just opinions, but those opinions are always up for debate and should be contested when someone like Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell isn't in the top ten head coaches heading into the 2025 NFL season.